Forever Dream
by Antionette8706
Summary: Hello! My name's Ch- erm, Mary and I'm fifteen. No, eleven. Gosh, I have to start remembering that. And I'm from the States. No, no, no, I'm from London. And I'm from 2009. NO. I'm from 1971. And I'm a witch. Now, THAT I know. And this is my story. Kinda.
1. It's Kinda Hard to Explain

Mary was not really my name. But how could I tell them the truth? They'd first never believe me, and then chuck me straight into a ward in St. Mungo's. But I'm not crazy! I'm not high on any fumes from Potions class; I seriously am not! I just... am kind of from the future? No, no, no, no... That is not a good way to confess the truth. I think I should at least try to keep it to a moderate sane level. Ugh, but there is no proper way of just bringing it up. Hey! What's up guys? Me, nothing, I just wanted to tell you that I've been lying to you guys ever since I first met you. See, I'm from the future and... No. Bloody. Way. Maybe I could lie to them forever? That way I can- No. Professor Dumbledore didn't want me to lie. You'd think that his house was Hufflepuff when you look at how much he loves ranting on about honesty and truth and all that lovey-dovey stuff. I'm not trying to hate on Professor Dumbledore; he's a great guy! He believed me when I told him I was from the future. Well, I'm kind of from the future. You see, I think I'm from a different dimension. It must be very confusing to keep up with this random assortment of information, so let me start from point A so we can get to where I am at now, which is probably point Q or something...

Well, this was unexpected. I rubbed my forehead as I tried to get up from the floor. Apparently I was on all fours and facing a beautiful mahogany floor. I lifted my aching head and was face-to-face with a magnificent bird with a rainbow of feathers. The bird looked precariously at my strange entering and leaned slightly and a single teardrop fell from its eyelid. The drop touched my bleeding head and it felt as if my head was touched by a soft, wet feather. The bleeding ceased, and so did my enormous headache. I smiled at the bird which now craned back its head and flew up to its perch. Now, I got up and wiped off the dust from my pants- Wait. I wasn't wearing any pants. Instead, a large black robe was covering my entire body. I looked around and of course, my jaw dropped. This office- it couldn't be -I mean it- It just _bloody_ wasn't! Whoa, wait a minute. Did I just use the word bloody?

I was so astonished by my surroundings I couldn't even realize when the large wooden door behind me clicked shut.

"Well, hello," said a polite voice behind me.

I immediately whipped my head around and almost fainted. The long white beard was unmistakable as was his fantastic silver robes and his glasses and crooked nose. His brilliant blue eyes twinkled and he smiled slightly as if he was pleasantly surprised.

"Oh, um, hi." Wow, two seconds after meeting the most amazing wizard of all time and I already made myself seem like an idiot.

"Would you like a seat?" he asked as he walked, more like glided across his office and sat in his throne-like chair. I nodded and sat down in the seat opposite the large desk. He put his hands together over the desk and stared at me for a minute or so. His eyes seemed to x-ray my mind and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. I suppressed an urge to chuckle because this situation somewhat reminded of a certain messy-haired boy with glasses and a lightning bolt scar...

"I see you are as surprised to being here as I am," Professor Dumbledore said, as he kept staring me down. I nodded and let out a smile. This whole situation felt like a dream. It probably was, but I just wanted it to continue. He raised his eyebrows slightly at my smile and smiled back.

"I-I dunno how to explain. It's-It's kinda complicated," I said quietly and looked down at my knees. I felt like such an idiot. He would never believe me.

"I think I am for it. You may be surprised, but I've had my fair share of complications in my life," he said. I chuckled.

"Okay," I let out a short sigh and looked up at him, "I'm kind of... well, not really but... I'm from the future. _Kind of_." He simply smiled and motioned his head for me to continue. "My name is Chandni Hinara, and I'm from America. I am fifteen, and I'm from the year 2009. Last time I checked, it was July 12th, 2009."

"Aaah, I see." I widened my eyes. He was going to believe me! "In this realm, it's 1971 and we are in my office at Hog-"

"-warts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, somewhere in England," I completed. His eyebrows raised slightly and nodded in agreement.

"I see you are not a muggle then-"

I cut him off again. "Sorry for interrupting, sir. But isn't it sort of foolish to even suspect me of being a muggle. A muggle would never been able to find the grounds of Hogwarts, never mind crashing into the headmaster's office!" I gasped a little at my outburst and murmured a word of apology and hastily looked at my knees again. When would I stop acting like an idiot?

Professor Dumbledore merely chuckled and said, "You are quite right. It was sort of foolish to think of that. But the case might be that you are a Squib. So," he pulled out his magnificent wand, "let us see if you are a witch." I raised my eyebrows as far as they went. I looked at his wand- _the Elder Wand_- and raised my hand to hold it. I grasped the handle and saw small sparks arising from the wand. Remembering the test Ollivander gave to Harry in book one, I gave the wand a wave. The curtains of Professor Dumbledore's window erupted in a small fire. Some of the portraits yelled out fits of outrage. I looked up at them and almost had forgotten about the walking and talking portraits of the wizarding world. I looked back at the headmaster's face and saw him smiling. He nodded and reached out his hand for the return of his Elder Wand. I gave it back and felt a quite happy inside. I was a witch!

"Now that we have that out of the way, I am sorry but I must ask you a few questions," he said in an apologetic tone.

"Oh, I don't mind! Go ahead!" I urged excitedly.

"Ah, thank you. First, are you sure of your age of fifteen?" he asked me, fixedly looking at my face. I reached up to my face and felt my usual high cheekbones softer and less pronounced. I circled my eyes and found my eyebrows very soft, softer than usual. I looked up at the headmaster with confusion built on my face.

"Do I look different?" I asked him.

He chuckled and said, "Dear child, I would love to say so but seeing as this is the first time I've met you, I can't really make that judgment." I nodded, feeling another wave of embarrassment. "May I suggest a mirror?" He pointed to the ornate-looking mirror next to his Pensieve. Wow, he had his Pensieve even back then, erm, I mean, now. I walked to the mirror, more interested in the Pensieve than my reflection, but looked up at the great mirror anyway. I let out a gasp.

Staring right back at me was not me. I mean, it "was" me, but not the current me. I definitely was not fifteen. I looked exactly as I did four years ago. When I was eleven... I gasped again and whipped my head at the smiling man sitting next to the desk.

"I-I look... I mean, how... I look like I did four years ago..." I stammered. Professor Dumbledore nodded.

"It seems you have changed your appearance and age to begin Hogwarts like any other eleven-year-old witch or wizard. And it seems that your name is not your name anymore since by looking at the admission papers," he motioned to the large stack on his left, "'Chandni Hinara' is not one of them." I gulped. Did that mean he did not trust me? "However," he continued, "there is one witch who I have a record of magical abilities. Though, I do not have her address." He looked at me with a slightly smug look and said, "You are probably the Mary MacDonald I have been searching for." Mary MacDonald? Did I look like a farm girl? My tan skin from my Indian parents, my black braided hair, my eternal dislike for all that is meat? I didn't really look like a 'Mary'.

"Mary?" I questioned.

"Yes. I think that with suffice for your new name. Your age does fit the usual boundaries of eleven, and I think you can be creative as to your personal background, if ever questioned," he said with a finality in his voice. I tried to collect what was going on. Did he want me to lie?

"No, no, no, of course I do not wish for you to lie," x-raying my thoughts as usual, " but given the circumstances, I just need time as well to understand why you have been sent here." I looked at my shoes, which had changed from flip-flops to sneakers. Why was I here? These kind of dreams usually stopped when I realized I was dreaming.

"Miss MacDonald," I looked up unconsciously, "will be your name for the remainder of the time you spend at Hogwarts, or in this realm, actually. I plan on having private, _lessons_, to help us understand your reason of being here." I widened my eyes, feeling a bit of nostalgia when I remembered reading about that certain young boy who had private lessons with the same great man before me. I murmured a word of agreement and he waved his wand and piles of books appeared upon his desk, cauldrons filled with small bottles, and a bag of galleons.

"These will be your books and supplies for this year of Hogwarts as well as a bag of galleons for robes and other necessities. However, next year the school cannot provide money for "other necessities" besides books, so I suggest applying for a, summer job." I nodded immediately and a sudden rush of relief filled me. He believed me at last!

"To buy robes and such, I suggest going to D-"

"-iagon Alley. Yes, sir," I finished with a grin. He smiled.

"I may accompany you if y-"

"Oh, sir! Yes! Please!" I answered with enthusiasm. I knew I could get there on my own without difficulty but I would not pass up a chance like this to go shopping with Professor Dumbledore! That would be a priceless experience!

He again smiled and said, "Thank you, but as a request, I would very much so appreciate if you didn't cut me off mid-sentence. At my age, it makes me quite flustered." I gasped, realizing how rude I'd been. I bowed my head in apology, quickly raising it, realizing how foolish that looked. I established myself already as a Class A Idiot, and this was the first time I met him! My face became quite hot and I looked at the headmaster. He simply looked amused and chuckled. He nodded towards the door, an indication for me to leave.

I headed towards the door, but stopped. I turned around and asked, "Professor, where shall I meet you for this- uh- _trip_?"

He gave an amused look and said, "At the Leaky Cauldron. I do enjoy Tom's company."

I smiled and nodded back, and closed the door behind me. Whatever dream this was going to turn out to be, I was rather enjoying it.


	2. Meetings In a Pub

I was waiting anxiously in Madam Rosmerta's pub. Biting my lip and drumming my fingers impatiently on the wooden table in front of me, I sighed. How long could Professor Dumbledore take? The pub looked somewhat full with a mish-mash of wizards and witches. A pretty lady bustled around the pub filling orders. She finally came to my table after a few orders from some staff members of Hogwarts.

"Hello, sweetheart! Are you here with your parents?" she asked, scanning the pub.

I was taken aback, but then realized that in this realm, I looked and technically was eleven, the still "innocent" age of being taken everywhere with my parents. I shook my head with a fake smile plastered on my face. She gave a small nod, as if she was acknowledging my "big girl-ness".

"What would you like to order then, _miss_?" she replied, with the enthusiasm on the last word. I rolled my eyes without her noticing. I could not really stand this "child treatment".

"I'd like one butterbeer, hold the foam," I said briskly, surprising the pretty lady with my tone and adult-like attitude. She smiled and went to get my order. I watched her retreat back and finally realized why Ron had a crush on her. She was very attractive, but this was more than twenty years before the famous trio had met her. She must have cast a few anti-aging charms over the years to retain her pretty youth. I smiled to myself, appreciating how well I knew this world.

As I waited, I looked around the pub to see the other staff members. None of them were familiar to me except the very huge man sitting by the wall of the pub by himself. _Rubeus Hagrid, gamekeeper of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_, I thought to myself. The ragged half-giant saw me staring. I smiled at him and waved. He seemed flustered by this and hastily rose his giant hand to wave back, but instead knocked over the wooden table, causing all his glass of butterbeer flying and spilling all the contents all over the place. I bit back a great urge to laugh and hurried over to the distressed Rubeus.

As I brought up the table, he hurried over to the spilt contents of his butterbeer and his shattered remains of his glass and brought out his umbrella and whispered something that caused the glass the vanish. He turned around to look at me. I simply smiled at him, causing him to frown.

"Who are yeh?" he demanded. My smile faltered a little at his tone.

"My name's Ch- Mary," I replied, quickly remembering my new name. He raised an eyebrow. "How are you, Rubeus?"

He raised both his eyebrows and stuttered, "H-How do yeh know my name?"

"Oh, um, I-I'm a Seer," I lied. His bushy eyebrows rose even higher up his forehead. "Yeah, I-I kind of just saw meeting you at the Hogsmeade train station when I go with you to Hogwarts on the boats." Hagrid seemed to have believed me when I said this, and lowered his eyebrows and managed to smile.

"A Seer, eh? Tha's somethin'."

I smiled, ignoring my guilt of lying, and replied, "Thanks, Rubeus."

A slight blush crept his cheeks and he murmured, "No one calls me tha'. Call me Hagrid." I smiled again, and nodded.

"So Mary, why are yeh here anyway? School doesn' star' 'til next week," he asked. I opened my mouth to respond, but my answer had just arrived.

I heard a creak of the door, and I simply beamed.

Dressed in a simple dark robe came the headmaster. A few staff members gave enthusiastic greetings while others in the pub simply nodded. He spotted me at Hagrid's table and came to me. He gave Hagrid a smile.

"Hello Rubeus! Wonderful to see you that you have already made acquaintances with a new first year," he said, while drawing up a chair to sit down. Hagrid and I hastily looked for chairs and sat down.

"Ah, yeah, Professor. Mary is quite a firs' year, ain't she?" replied Hagrid, while giving me a grin. I felt my face getting a little warm. Professor Dumbledore half-raised his eyebrows and x-rayed me with his piercing blue eyes.

"Indeed she is," said the headmaster. I simply nodded, trying to ignore the guilt of lying to Hagrid.

Madam Rosmerta finally came hustling to our table and with a slight sigh, she said, "Finally! I was looking everywhere for you! I thought you had disapparated or something! Well, that's impossible since... Well, anyhow, don't go wandering off to other tables, miss! It makes it a lot harder for me to go around looking for y- Oh! I'm so sorry! Hello Professor!" She finally realized my company after giving me a slight scolding. Her cheeks reddened, and faced me again and stammered, "So, that'll be six sickles."

I raised my eyebrows, and completely forgot that I had no money to pay her! I shot a quick look to the headmaster and he had a bemused look on his face. He chuckled at my panic and reached into his robes and brought out his wand. He waved slightly and my books, cauldron, and bag of galleons were conjured up.

"You seemed to have forgotten your belongings when you left my office, Miss MacDonald," said the professor. I breathed a sigh of relief and took the bag of galleons and brought out a fat gold coin. I handed it to the impatient Rosmerta who snatched it and gave the exact change in one swap.

However, she faced the headmaster, and asked sweetly, "Would you like anything, Professor?" The headmaster simply shook his head. Madam Rosmerta gave a slight bow and left. As I watched her walk away, I heard her grumbling to herself, "Why did you bow, Rosmerta! You looked like such a troll!" I giggled a little.

"So, er, how are things Professor?" asked Hagrid. I looked at Dumbledore.

"Well, first, I'd like to apologize to you Miss MacDonald for my tardiness. I had to finish up a few, ah, matters for this school year."

"Oh, no, it's okay! Really!" I said, feeling a tinge of regret for being mad before on his lateness. He nodded and smiled and turned to Hagrid.

"Well Hagrid, things are turning a bit well, even in the current situation the wizarding world is in," said Dumbledore, "I feel that this school year will turn out to be very well indeed." I didn't have to face the headmaster to feel his eyes x-ray at me. I gave a nervous smile.

"Ay, professor. It's a week before school, and we already have a Seer!" exclaimed Hagrid, giving me another grin. I felt like a huge slab of guilt slapped me in the face. The headmaster gave another look of bemusement and neither denied or supported this statement.

"Ah, so, Professor, I-I think we should be heading off now," I stammered, very eager to leave. I liked Hagrid, but he did have a habit of talking too much.

"Why yes, we should. But I do think it would have been worth six sickles to have your butterbeer," commented Dumbledore, pointing a finger at the lone drink. I completely forgot and grabbed the glass and started to chug. I drank the whole thing and slammed the empty glass onto the table. I looked at the surprised faces of Hagrid and Dumbledore. I just _chugged _a drink. I looked like more a weirdo than before. I mentally slapped myself. Now it wasn't just the drink that was warming up my face.

Dumbledore simply chuckled, and said, "Alright then. We should depart now. Thank you Hagrid for your warm company!" He stood up and I quickly got up too.

"Oh, uh, Professor? Are yeh leavin' somewhere then?" asked Hagrid, seeming almost crestfallen.

Professor Dumbledore nodded and turned to leave. I looked behind and waved a goodbye to Hagrid. He waved back and forced a small smile. I felt bad that we were leaving him alone.

"Oh, um, sir?"

Professor Dumbledore turned around again to face me.

"Yes, Miss MacDonald?"

"Um, I-I think maybe I should go by myself. I realized that you have a lot of things to do and that I shouldn't make you accompany me," I said, feeling selfish. Dumbledore, on the other hand, smiled.

"Ah, you are right. But you shouldn't go by yourself, even if you may act older than your age," he said, his eyes twinkling. He turned again to Hagrid. "Hagrid, would it be too much of a favor if you accompanied Miss MacDonald to Diagon Alley for her school shopping?"

Hagrid beamed and said, "Oh yes sir! I'd love ter go!" He got up and thumped his huge hand on my back, crushing a few bones and knocking the wind out of me. Professor Dumbledore smiled again and bowed slightly and with a loud crack, disapparated.

Hagrid smiled down at me.

"T-Thanks Hagrid," I said, trying to regain my breath.

"No problem! So, yeh wanna get goin'?"

"Sure," I responded, grinning. I did pass up a chance to go shopping with Dumbledore, but I'll be shopping with Hagrid! Besides, I always had a chance to go shopping with Dumbledore. This all _was_ a dream.

Right?


End file.
